We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Boris Johnson has backed his senior aide throughout the public backlash and urged people to move on from the event. But former Labour adviser Richard Power Sayeed believes there is one particular reason why the Prime Minister won’t sack Mr Cummings. He explained that Mr Johnson needs Mr Cummings for his Brexit plans.

Speaking to talkRADIO, Mr Sayed said: “I think the whole Dominic Cummings saga, you might have thought it was about coronavirus but it’s been entirely about Brexit.

“No 10 has been refusing to sack Mr Cummings because they’re so focused on this next deadline of the EU negotiations.

“The Prime Minister knows that Mr Cummings will be good at threatening no deal.

“He knows that he will be good at negotiating a fudge agreement where they just put off the decisions until later.

“They know that it will be good at selling it to the public as this anti-establishment trial when there’s no such thing.

“That helps Mr Johnson win back the support of Tory MPs who are currently really unimpressed at the moment.”

It comes as Deputy chief medical officer for England, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said coronavirus rules are clear and apply to everybody when asked about Mr Cummings.

Speaking at the Downing Street daily briefing, Professor Van-Tam said: “In my opinion the rules are clear and they have always been clear.

“In my opinion they are for the benefit of all.

“In my opinion they apply to all.”

In response to the question about Mr Cummings, who travelled to Durham from London while the harshest lockdown measures were in place, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “Dominic Cummings gave a very extensive explanation of his behaviour on Monday and answered all questions in relation to that.

“The Prime Minister accepted that explanation and on that basis kept him in post and that remains the position.”

DON’T MISS

Nigel Farage gobsmacked as devout Brexiteer delivers stunning verdict [VIDEO]
Witch-hunt is over, time to move on, says JUDY FINNIGAN [COMMENT]
Keir Starmer’s attack on Boris Johnson massively backfires [INSIGHT]

Earlier on Saturday, one scientist said the “Cummings affair” could impact trust in the authorities issuing the rules.

Professor Robert West, a participant in the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B) which advises Sage said: “Trust in authority telling you to do things is very important when it comes to people adhering to those rules.

“This is going to become even more important as we move to a situation where it’s not everybody having to do it, it’s people who have drawn the short straw.

“So they will be seeing other people out there being able to engage in activities which they can’t do for up to 14 days.

“People will feel really cheesed off about it and they must, absolutely must, feel that what they are doing they are doing it because it’s the right thing to do, so anyone who was in their position would do that.

Source: Read Full Article